Tuesday, February 13, 2007

Eat the rich

Following a throw away comment I made about obesity being a major problem in some parts of the world while in other parts, people starve, Atyllah has done an excellent post with all the facts and figures to back up her points.

Go here. Gasp. And then decide if her solution - to wipe out the human species - is the only one.

I'm not surprised. We talk about the horrors of colonialism but in fact we're exploiting the Third World more than ever. We have to accept that there is a direct correlation between our affluence and the poverty of others.

One of the most affecting things I read recently is an article by Claudia Winkleman in the Independent. Click on this link:

Do please check out Claudia's article. I challenge you to stay dry-eyed ...

But we can't just give up. As Steerforth says, we are partly responsible and we can't allow our own despair to excuse us from doing everything we can:

1) Educate ourselves.2) Pass the info on so that no one can say they didn't know3) Put pressure on our governments and keep it there - to cancel the so-called 'debt' poor countries owe and ensure fair trade for starters.

You're right, V. We're alive. Where there's life there's hope. And without hope, there can be no life. We can't duck our responsibilities. But beating ourselves up helps no one.

The human species can probably be relied upon to wipe out itself, Debi.

Debi, it's not just about educating ourselves, but also educating those that have so much less than us. It's no good throwing money at the problem, it has to be tackled at a far more grass roots level- more often that not money given in aid, simply goes missing. And one also has to bring pressure to bear on governments to be mindful of their actions.

Ironically, Africa sits on the brink of another bout of colonialism as China moves in to plunder natural resources they so desperately need to fuel their burgeoning economy. Already there are signs that this "foreign investment" leaves behind a variety of devastations.

Many have been quietly doing their bit for years. A charity near me works tirelessly to raise funds to send 'Shelter Boxes' all over the world - often working round the clock when disaster strikes. Another endlessly raises money to cover shipment costs of food donated locally. Strangely enough many of the people who work here are of a larger size. Please draw a line between being overweight and contributing to world hunger - it should not be a blanket assumption.

Minx makes a very valid point about being overweight and contributing to world hunger and it not being a blanket assumption. In many ways obseity in the developed world occurs, generally, amongst the poor parts of society - those unable to afford healthier lifestyles.

I apologise too, Debi. The obesity point was originally raised on Atyllah's blog and I should have made it clear that I was referring to that.Education is the way forward here and it can start by just being aware of what is done locally. I live in one of the most deprived areas in the southwest and yet people are always willing to help a little - there is always hope.